I have this problem, it has happened beginning new game!!  first time run!!
Specs:
Intel Pentium D 2.8G
8600GTs
2 G of RAM
Windows XP Professional (32 bit) SP3

No overclocking, why so much of the game bug, the amendment to the official patch does not?

Well, I HAD the sound problems and fixed that by reducing the hardware acceleration. However, I am now starting the mission where you have to rescue some woman from Gentek.

I make my way to the marker on the map and just before I get there it starts loading and just sits there. It never returns to the game.  I have to kill the process.

I'm running XP SP3 with the latest DirectX. All game settings are default. No overclocking

I signed up just to post here.

After going through a string of problems. I am now stuck on this one. First I encountered freezes whilst attacking the Lt at Gentek. Then after rolling back beta drivers, and reinstalling DX9 from MS's website (not the disk) then Prototype, I came up against corrupt saves (I guess, the game just froze immediately after loading the game and placing me on the map). Then, after restarting, I got this.

I have found a useful tidbit of info though. If I go to the game folder in my Program Files (x86) and remove 01audio.rcf (by say, moving it to desktop). the game loads up fine, but with no sound and then freezes at the end of the loading screen. Probably cos its looking for the sounds, so this is definitely a sound related thing.

So I ASK EVERYONE, Could you please state your sound card when you post plz.

Mines a Soundblaster XF-i ExtremeMusic.

Running a AMD x2 6000+
an 8800GT 512, and $GB of RAM on Vista 64